To save time, hitch frames have been provided heretofore whereby two implements can be towed and operated simultaneously behind a tractor. For road travel, the implements are adapted to be positioned one behind the other. In the field, a front implement operates on a swath directly behind the tractor, the same as when only one implement is used. With a dual hitch, a rear implement is adapted to be positioned to operate on a swath next to the swath of the front implement. The dual hitch is designed so that the rear implement can be shifted to operate selectively to the right or left of the front implement.
Rakes and tedders are available either ground driven or power operated. When the crop to be harvested is of substantial volume, a ground drive to a reel may not provide adequate power for the harvesting operation. Ground speed may have to be curtailed by the tractor operator. To allow for faster ground speeds, rakes and tedders are available which are power driven. In some prior art arrangements, a drive is provided by modifying ground driven implements with a hydraulic motor for each implement reel. This involves reconstruction of the implements to have a normally ground driven rake or tedder power driven. Substantial expense can be involved in achieving such a change over.
When the implements used are power driven, such as rakes or tedders having a power-take-off drive train connectable to the output shaft of a tractor, the implements can be underpowered when the two units are used at the same time behind a tractor. This will depend on the size of the tractor, the hydraulic system available and the power available to properly operate the rearward implement behind the dual hitch.
Conventionally, a dual hitch frame simply connects to the drawbar of the tractor. The front implement connects to the tractor and is powered directly by the power output shaft of the tractor. In addition, a drive is provided from the tractor through the dual hitch frame to the rear implement.